Livingston Waddell Houston (January 18, 1891 – November 22, 1977) was the eleventh president of

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

Biography

He was born on January 18, 1891, in Wyoming, Ohio. He graduated from Rensselaer in 1913 with a degree in mechanical engineering and was a member of the engineering honor society

Tau Beta Pi The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi, , or TBP) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a ...

His first job out of school was as an assistant engineer for the Mobil Gas Company. In 1919, he joined the Ludlow Valve Company of Troy, a large manufacturer of fire hydrants, as production manager. By 1932, he rose to president of the company and he remained president until 1941, when he became chairman of the board. He was chairman of the board until 1960. In 1925, he was elected a Life Trustee of Rensselaer. In 1944, he was elected president of Rensselaer. The post-war years were ones of great growth with the increased enrollment due to the return of those serving in World War II. In 1946, surplus military barracks were obtained to house them. These buildings were formally called the Rendael dormitories, but informally known as "Tin Town." By 1953, these buildings were replaced by a complex of four dormitories and a dining hall, which formed what is still the heart of "Freshman Hill." In 1948–1949, the institute obtained a surplus navy warehouse from the government that was remodeled to become the R.P.I. Fieldhouse, used for events and sports competitions, especially ice hockey games. In 1955, Rensselaer and United Aircraft Corp. built a branch campus in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, called the Hartford Graduate Center. During his tenure, enrollment went from 1,200 to 4,000 students, the number of faculty tripled and the assets rose from $17 million to more than $50 million. He died at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, New York on November 22, 1977. After his death, the field house was named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Livingston W. Presidents of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1891 births 1977 deaths Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni People from Wyoming, Ohio 20th-century American academics